St Joseph’s Primary School

Gayndah Newsletter Date Wednesday

16 November 2016

Principal’s Letter to Parents

2016 Term Four

Week Seven

All Good Things Must Come To An End – Or Something Like That!

Dear Friends at St. Joseph’s Primary, As you know, it was in recent months that I announced the news that I am being transferred to be the new Parish Priest of the Noosa District. Officially my appointment begins on December 3rd. However, it will be necessary for me to be in place a couple of days prior, due to the fact that the incumbent Parish Priest is taking up his new role at Kenmore, and also the Associate Pastor will be leaving to be the new Parish Priest of Nerang (lots of moving going on!). While I am hopeful of the opportunities that lie ahead, I am also mindful that I am leaving behind a community filled with truly wonderful, generous and supportive people, to whom I am extremely grateful. This will be hardest of all. The Noosa District Parish consists of four diverse faith communities in Tewantin, Cooroy, Pomona, and Sunshine Beach. There are two Catholic schools with which I will be involved: St. Thomas More Primary School in Sunshine Beach, and St. Teresa’s Secondary College in Noosaville. Both of these are large schools. Among many other ministries, the parish also offers regular pastoral care to patients at the Noosa Hospital, and numerous nursing homes in the region. Suffice to say, I think I’m going to be very busy! That being said, I wanted to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank all the members of the school community - parents, staff, students, school board and the P&F. You have all made me feel so welcome and included in the life of the school community. I am especially blessed by the close and fruitful working relationship I have been able to share with Ben Gray these last three years. He has shown me great generosity, trust, support and friendship. His tireless energy and commitment to the school is unmatched. (I feel like a sloth in comparison!) I am also deeply thankful for Amy Glisson, who in her first year at St. Joseph’s, has shown herself to be a wonderful addition to parish and school life, and whose enthusiasm and competency are without question. We are blessed to have her on-board for 2017. Over the last three and a half years it has been my hope and aim to foster strong bonds between the church and school community. We see this especially when we all work together so marvellously for the success of the Parish Fete. I am indebted to everyone from the school community who is so generous in offering their time, energy and abilities to help support the fete. It is in sincere thanksgiving for this generosity and hard work that I wish to announce that St. Joseph’s Catholic Parish will be offering a $2000 donation to the school for its continued spiritual growth and pastoral welfare. Ben Gray has assured us that the money will go towards a project of this nature in time to come. Please come along to the Fete on November 25th to celebrate all that is wonderful about St. Joseph’s! Apart from the graduation mass on November 29th, my final parish event will take place beginning with mass on Sunday November 27th at 9am. There will be a farewell BBQ meal in the school grounds starting at 11am that day. You are all most welcome to come along. If you would like to attend, please notify the school office so that we have numbers for catering purposes, no later than Wednesday November 23rd. Be assured that as I prepare to leave this place, I will do so with a special prayer for you all. St. Joseph’s School will always hold a unique place in my heart. I treasure your many kindnesses to me, and ask that you also keep me in your prayers. Thank-you and God bless,

Fr. Jason

We are heading into that exciting time of year when the school work and assessment starts winding down, and we prepare to finish off for the year. There are lots of great events coming up over the next few weeks, so please make sure you keep checking our calendar and Facebook page to keep up to date with what is going on. You may also receive emails or notes from class teachers about certain events, so please keep an eye out for these as well. Swimming wrapped up with a bang at last Friday’s District Carnival, with St Joseph’s coming away victorious in many events and winning the overall points tally. Well done to all our students who swam so well and showed great sportsmanship, and a big thank you to all our staff and parents for their assistance with lessons and the carnivals. These events don’t come together without a lot of dedicated people working behind the scenes, and we are very appreciative of all those who helped in any way.

Our students are involved in many wonderful activities at the moment, including visits to the Life Education van this week, making Christmas cards for the less fortunate with the support of St Vincent De Paul, and busily preparing their fete dance and awards night songs. All the best to our Year 4 students, Mrs McGregor and Miss Lancaster as they embark on camp this week. We will keep them in our thoughts and prayers and hope they have an enjoyable time. This Saturday 19 November, we have invited our Year 6 students from 2015 and 2016 to come to school at 9am to lay their pavers into our Senior Walk, behind the Sports Centre. We are looking

forward to starting this new tradition with our senior students, and hope to see many of them there this Saturday. Next Monday is the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This day celebrates the occasion when Mary’s parents, Joachim and Anne, presented Mary to the Lord in the temple and offered her life to Him. This feast emphasises our response to God’s gifts and invitations. Mary continually said “Yes” to God, and even bore His only Son, which is a reminder for all of us to be open to God’s will in our lives and be ready to accept the challenges this presents. We have a lot of end of year events over the next two weeks. The major points you need to be aware of are:

Tuesday 22 November: St Joseph’s Awards Night. We will begin the evening at 6:00pm. Each class will perform two Christmas carols, and following this the awards will be announced.

Friday 25 November: Leadership Handover Assembly. This will begin at 9am, and will be a celebration of the Year 6 leaders, while they officially hand over their leadership role to our Year 5 students.

Friday 25 November: Parish Fete beginning at 5:30pm. Don’t forget to purchase your ride bracelets through the office, and be ready for a fun-filled evening.

Sunday 27 November: Father Jason’s Farewell at 11am. Please RSVP to the office or to Wendy Lutvey if you can attend. A gift will be presented to him on behalf of the school. A gift is also being organised on the Parish’s behalf, so if you wish to contribute to this, please contact Wendy Lutvey or the office.

Tuesday 29 November: Year 6 Graduation. This will begin with Mass in the Church at 6pm, followed by dinner for the Year 6 students and their parents. All are welcome at the Mass, where we will celebrate the Year 6 students’ completion of Primary School.

Wednesday 30 November: Fun swim morning at the pool. Bring togs, towel, sunscreen and thongs, plus a cap and goggles if you have them.

Friday 2 December: Last day of school for 2016. We will conclude with a farewell liturgy at 11am, and the students will be dismissed at 12noon. Parents and family members are most welcome to join us for this final assembly.

Enjoy the last few weeks!

God Bless,

Amy

OFFICE NEWS: It would be appreciated if any outstanding school fee accounts could be settled by the end of next week. Thank you.

DATES TO REMEMBER: • 16-18 November—Year 4 Camp • Saturday 19th November - Year Six Paving Ceremony • Tuesday 22 November—Awards Night • Friday 25 November—St Joseph’s Parish Fete • Tuesday 29 November—Year Six Graduation Mass & Dinner • Friday 2 December—School finishes at 12pm, last day of school for 2016.

FETE REMINDERS: • Snack pack orders and payment are due back to the office by this Friday, 18th November. • Raffle tickets are due back to the office by Monday 21st November. • Ride bands are available from the school office. • If you are able to help on a stall on the night please let the office know. • If you are able to help packing fruit next Thursday please let the office know.

St Joseph’s Primary School

38 Meson Street

PO Box 119 Gayndah

Queensland

Phone: 07 4161 1889

Fax: 07 4161 2655 Email:

pgayndah@bne.catholic.edu.au

Website: www.stjosephsgayndah.qld.edu.au

“In All Things

Glorify God”

Diary of Coming Events

Tues 22 Nov

Awards Night

Fri 25 Nov

Parish Fete

Wed 30

Swimming morning

Fri 2 Dec

Last Day Term 4

Term One

Wed 27 Jan—

Thurs 24 March

Term Two

Tues 12 April—

Fri 24 June

Term Three

Mon 11 July—

Fri 16 Sept

Term Four

Tues 4 Oct—

Fri 2 Dec

Public Holiday - Mon 3 October

Pupil Free day - Mon 17th October

ST JOSEPH’S SCHOOL TERM

DATES 2016

GAYNDAH LITTLE ATHLETICS: Every Friday night, 5.30pm at the Gayndah Sports Ground. GAYNDAH ART GALLERY: Gayndah Art Gallery invites children to make Christmas Decorations for our Christmas tree in Gallery (supplied by Rachel Koster). Drop them in when completed. Decorations will be donated to Gunther Retirement Village when we close for the Christmas break 17th December. SHRED PT: Together with Dave Holleran Fitness: ULTIMATE FITNESS CHALLENGE CLASS Join us in testing your personal limits in a safe environment. This will be a timed event, to see who is the fittest person in the North Burnett Area. Money raised will be donated back to the community—St Joseph’s Catholic School. Date: 20th November 2016 Start: 7am Venue: Gayndah Sports Ground Entry Fee: $15 Format: (this is an indication only and format could change) 1. 1.2Km Run/Walk 2. Crossfit Challenge—(to be completed 3 times) - 20 x push ups, 20 x sit ups, 10 x burpees 100 x step ups 3. 1.2km run/walk 4. Obstacle Course—(may include: tyre drag, crawling etc) 5. 2.4 km run/walk Entry fee needs to be paid by the 17th November. Please contact Kirsty Robertson for details, 0429 628 432. ANGLICAN MONSTER GARAGE SALE: Sat 19th November

Outside selling begins at 8am, hall opens 8:30am Collectables, furniture, household goods, jewellery, books, toys, clothes—Something for everyone! CENTRAL BURNETT BRUMBIES: Brumbies are having a meeting Tuesday, 29th November at the Gayndah Sports Oval at 6pm. We need a secretary for the club to continue. Expressions of interest for the positions of coaches are required in writing. Address is Gayndah Junior Rugby League, PO Box 21, Gayndah. We would love to hear from you all. TOUCH FOOTBALL: Play touch 2017 Training camps coming. Kingaroy - Sat 7th Jan Gayndah - Sun 8th Jan Childers -Tues 10th Jan Hervey Bay -Wed 11th Jan Games, Skills and Drills at your local club. It’s free - to register now, go to www.sunshinecoasttouch.com EZCOVERS: School book covers. Browse & buy at www.ezcovers.com Choose your school from the drop down list and use the code EZ15 to increase the donation from 5cents to 15 cents for every cover purchased.